INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A small group pickets were asked by the Sheriff's Office to leave school district property at Treasure Coast Elementary on Monday.

In response, about 50 protesters with signs stood outside school grounds at the county's Common Core curriculum workshop at Rosewood Magnet School on Tuesday.

"They would not allow parents to speak," Laura Zorc said of Monday's workshop. Zorc, of Vero Beach, is the southeast coordinator for a grass-roots organization called Florida Parents Against Common Core, and the wife of Indian River County Commissioner Tim Zorc. "Parents were threatened to be arrested if they handed out Common Core fact sheets."

During both workshops, parents were asked to submit their questions in writing and place them in a basket for review by district officials, who promised to post answers on the district website to questions not answered in person. No questions were accepted from the floor, a procedure that frustrated parents at both sessions.

"Parents are very concerned about how this affects their children," Zorc said. "This form of intimidation to keep us silent must stop."

Conservative groups across the country, including the tea party, are leading the charge to oppose Common Core. In Martin County, a workshop in April drew angry parents who asked why there was no local input before implementing Common Core.

Common Core is the new set of standards adopted by 45 states. It is designed to make sure students are college and career ready. Currently, plans are to change Florida state standards to the national Common Core standards by the 2014-15 school year.

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test will be replaced by new standardized online tests based on Common Core.

Kathleen O'Brien of Vero Beach attended Tuesday's workshop to learn more about how Common Core will affect her two grandchildren. She said she is concerned about their education and wanted to hear from school district representatives about how they plan to implement Common Core in classrooms throughout the district.

O'Brien said she was disappointed Superintendent Fran Adams did not attend either session.

"This is a national issue, not just in Florida," O'Brien said. "But it's obvious to me this school district doesn't want our input. I feel some of our liberties are being eroded."

Jody Bennett, the county's Core Curriculum executive director, said the state, not the district, adopted Common Core.

"They adopt the standards, we implement the curriculum," Bennett said. "I encourage people to go back and look at the standards. It is what we have always expected, just with more rigor."